Yard Art Projects

Smiling person wearing colorful paint-splattered apron, standing in front of abstract artwork.

Hi! My name is Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. I am a printmaker, painter, and collage artist living and working in Watertown, MA.

My artwork explores high contrast visual relationships, skating along the boundaries of aesthetic cacophony.

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Spurred by the pandemic, Yard Art is an annual outdoor art festival held in the Spring.  Town residents put some kind of original one-of-a-kind artwork on their homes, lawns, porches, or in public spaces around town.

Below you can read a little bit about my Yard Art Projects.

Yard Art 2023: It Takes a Village

Hand touching colorful abstract floral painting with bold patterns and vibrant colors.

I am currently working on a series about motherhood as manifested through the visual icon of a vessel -- i.e. a vase, a cup, a bowl, etc. 

For this large scale (33" x 60") artwork, designed to hang within one of the openings of my front porch, I chose a collection of battered bowls. 

One is chipped all along the rim. 
One has been broken but glued together. 
And one has a large crack in it. 

​Despite the bowls' imperfections, flowers and leaves continue to grow and emerge from within the wobbly bowl tower.  The tiny pieces of paper that make up the leaves and flowers are a testament to how they were "grown" -- from the contributions of many.

I have designed the piece so that the viewer's first impression is of a "pretty picture" of flowers and brightly colored bowls. It requires a second glance to realize that the bowls are quite distressed.  To me, this is a perfect metaphor for my experience of motherhood -- especially in the age of carefully curated social media.  

Yard Art 2022: Balzer Art Gallery

Chances are good that you've seen and even visited a "free little library." There are two of them farther up this street!  The cousin of the free little library is the "free little art gallery."  For this year's art installation, I wanted to foster an exchange of art.  A "leave art if you take art" little art gallery seemed like the perfect solution.

This photo of the gallery is from the concept stage. I was trying to figure out what would fit inside the box and how to best paint the gallery in order to showcase the art.

I have started an instagram account dedicated to the gallery.  I look forward to sharing photos of all of the art that comes and goes through the gallery.  (Hopefully there will be lots!)

Art display box with framed colorful prints and small canvas on easel

Yard Art 2021: Arbor Vitae Mural

Art studio with colorful abstract painting on canvas, surrounded by art supplies and tools on tables and shelves.

The magnificent Elm tree in our driveway is older than our 1890 house.  Most likely it was planted between 1830 and 1850.  I often think about the stories this ancient Elm could tell.  That thought was the creative spark for my 19-foot long wrap-around mural, "Arbor Vitae," seen at left, while in progress.

Watch the video below to learn more about the process of creating "Arbor Vitae."

Buy Original Art to Spark Joy in Your Home

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Take a piece of my art home with you.  Buy 4 postcards for $10.  Free shipping via USPS in the US.  Or purchase a beautiful one-of-a-kind work of art!